To secure your personal data, you need to stay up to date and educate yourself on threats.

But what about the perpetrators of these attacks? Hackers are sometimes grouped together, however their diversity is astonishing sometimes, to say the least.

We shall first dive in the regular colored-hat-wearing hackers; that being said, reading through the entire material below will shed more light into other types of hackers as well.

1) White Hat Hackers

White Hat Hackers are professionals with solid knowledge of cybersecurity. They have been given permission or certification to hack into a specific system.

By breaking into certain systems, the White Hat Hackers help governments or organizations remain safe by  exposing flaws in the organization's cybersecurity systems.

This type of hacking activity is carried out in order to assess the level of cybersecurity in a company or institution, thus detecting the weak spots and correcting them in order to avoid real and potentially damaging external assaults.

White Hat Hackers, also known as ethical hackers, follow the government's guidelines and regulations.

2) Black Hat Hackers

Black Hat Hackers are likewise skilled computer specialists, but they have nefarious intentions. As opposed to White Hat Hackers they do not have permission to access a system.

They operate by targeting vulnerable systems.

After compromising the attacked systems, they will either steal valuable data, destroy the system all together, or even install malware programs that will be later used in conducting ransomware attacks.

3) Gray Hat Hackers

When classifying a hacker, the goal behind the attack is taken into account. The Gray Hat Hacker is an in-between hacker status. These hackers are not certified, and might have either good or evil motives.

The hacking might be for their benefit. The purpose of hacking determines the sort of hacker. If the objective is for personal benefit, the hacker is classified as a Gray Hat Hacker.

4) Script Kiddies

It is a well-known fact that ignorance is always hazardous. The Script Kiddies are novice hackers in the world of hacking. They attempt to attack systems, networks, or websites using scripts written by other hackers. The goal of the hacking is to get attention from their peers. 

5) Green Hat Hackers

Green Hat Hackers are those who are still learning the ins and outs of hacking. Because of their goal, they differ somewhat from the Script Kiddies. The goal is to work hard and study in order to become a full-fledged hacker. They are on the lookout for opportunities to learn from seasoned hackers.

6) Blue Hat Hackers

Blue Hat Hackers are quite similar with Script Kiddies as they do not wish to study hacking. To acquire favor among their fellow colleagues, they employ hacking as a weapon. They utilize hacking to resolve disputes with their opponents. Blue Hat Hackers are harmful because of their purpose rather than their knowledge.

7) Red Hat Hackers

Eagle-Eyed Hackers are associated with Red Hat Hackers. They are the same sorts of hackers as white hackers. The Red Hat Hackers plan to thwart the Black Hat Hackers' onslaught. The distinction between Red Hat and White Hat Hackers lies in the practice of hacking via purpose. When dealing with Black Hat Hackers or combating malware, Red Hat Hackers are brutal. The red Hat Hackers continue to fight against a threat, and it is possible that the entire system setup may have to be replaced.

Aside from the above-mentioned types of hackers known in the cybersecurity world, another entire world of malicious actors is also out there:

 Nation-State Hackers: The Notorious Cybercriminals

These are cybercriminals who have the support of a state's government. You've probably heard of the SolarWinds assaults, which resulted in a large network breach and exposed hundreds of companies worldwide, including elements of the US government.

Cybersecurity specialists and US intelligence officials blamed Russia unequivocally for the assault.

The hackers hooked their software to SolarWinds, a business that manufactures the Orion IT performance monitoring platform. This software is used by thousands of businesses throughout the world, and all of them got infected software from March to June 2020.

These assaults are thought to have been carried out by Russia's foreign intelligence organization. But it isn't all. There are additional gangs of hackers suspected of having links to the North Korean and Iranian governments.

 The Corporate Spies: Business Plan Stealers

Corporate spies are hackers that undertake corporate espionage in order to obtain key corporate data such as business plans, patents, financial data, contracts, and more.

If you operate a business of any size, you should get business insurance with a data protection coverage.

 Cryptojackers: The Two-Headed Threat

Cryptojackers take computational power and resources from consumers in order to mine cryptocurrency.

One of the better known cryptojackers – Smominru - controls over 520k machines and has earned its owners over $3 million in a single year. This cryptojacking botnet was utilized in the 2017 WannaCry global ransomware outbreak.

 Hacktivists: Activists of the Tech Era

These are the people who utilize hacking to make a political or social statement. These cybercriminals do not always act to make money, but rather to criticize and upset the government.

If you are not connected to the government, you should not be concerned about these hackers.

 Script-Kiddies: Unskilled Amateurs or Dangerous Hackers

These are amateur hackers that mostly hack for the joy of it. But don't dismiss them.

On a Friday in 2016, hundreds of websites were forced to go offline due to a wave of cyberattacks. The enormous attack that took down Amazon, Twitter, and Reddit is thought to have been carried out by "script kiddies."

According to experts, script kiddies frequently unknowingly assist serious criminals through their careless probing and system breaches.

 Hacking Groups for Hire: They Hit You Hard

There are several infamous hacking gangs available for rent all across the world. These organizations often use the RaaS (Ransomware-as-a-Service) paradigm, which allows them to lease ransomware in the same way that software companies lease SaaS products.

The Darkside ransomware organization is one such outfit that has made headlines. The hackers targeted the Colonial Pipeline, an American oil pipeline infrastructure that transports jet fuel and gasoline throughout the country. The virus disrupted the pipeline's whole equipment management system, resulting in a loss of more than $15 billion.

The only way to defend yourself from such hackers is to ensure that your backup data is secure and offline.